Memories of the Wind
by Dazzling Lenny Geek
Summary: The Chaotix are sent on what could become the most important case of their client's lives. (Rating will go up later)
1. Intro

----- Intro

Nothing yet...

Things had been slow around the office since Doctor Eggman hired them out as 'errand boys' a few months back, so things were running on 'reserve energy'. The two story office by the harbor became the Chaotix's home when they were thrown out their own apartments one by one. It was the only place that had been paid off.

Paid off thanks to that nice hedgehog kid and those friends he kept as 'sympathy'.

Bah, he didn't need anyone's charity! He'd land a big job soon and show them all what the Chaotix are capable of doing! He'd show them that he could do something right for once in his li-

" B-Boss? "

That stuttering squirrel peeked. " Y-you have a cl-cl-client waiting f-for you outf-f-f-ront. " Ray always had a nervous smile on his face, but a hurt look in his eyes. If it was one case Vector wanted to solve in his life it was what could possibly mess a kid up 'that' bad.

" If it's Eggman, tell 'im to kiss my- "

" I-it's a Mmmmissus Rabbit. " Ray opened the door to show the female, she was tall for a mobian. Ray was almost full grown but only came up to the female's waist in comparison. He held the door open for the lady, who made her way in with a slow graceful stride that wasn't seen in those other little girls who ran around this town.

She said down in the chair in front of his desk, looking down at the floor instead of at Vector. " Good Morning, Mr. Crocodile. " She sounded a bit nervous.

" Mornin' ma'am. " The rabbit woman was shaking in her seat, causing the uneven legs to clatter on the floor. " What's botherin' you? "

Without saying a word she'd look up at him with a forced smile. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown just a shade darker than her hair, going well with her creamy fur color. Without warning, her nose would wiggle and she'd start giggling. " You're going to think this sounds 'crazy'. " She started off quietly, then her giggling got louder. " Really silly... "

" Believe me, ma'am. I've heard it all. " They've had a track record of the weird after all, so he was sure nothing would scare them now.

The rabbit controlled herself long enough to continue. " Are you sure? I'll be asking a big favor of you, and you might not like the result. "

Vector'd then laugh a bit himself. " As long as it ani't illegal, we'll do anythin'! " That was Policy #1 in the unofficial Chaotix Rule book (though Espio can use a refresher's course).

" Well, aren't you enthusiactic? " She seemed to have calmed a little now, lucky for him. That clattering noise was driving him insane! " Well my name is Vanillia, I'm the mother of one of the children who run with Sonic the Hedgehog. " She'd hold her hand out to him, and he'd take it though it wasn't the way Vector was accustomed to greeting females. " Me and my daughter have been living in seclusion until quite recently, ever since the little one was born... "

" Nice biography, but what does it have to do with anything? " He was sorry to cut her off, but he wasn't too keen on waiting.

" My life has to do with 'everything'. " She'd place a hand over her heart, looking back to the ground. " I spent most of my life as a captive of Doctor Eggman, who captured me as a little girl. He worked on many inventions that... "

She stopped before continuing " He first tested on me... "

Vector didn't quite understand yet. " So you want me to get revenge? "

Vanilla shook her head. " No, I've long since forgiven him for that. " Her tone of voice hadn't convinced him, but he wouldn't argue. " It's just that I've taken a particular interest in one of his inventions and would like to know more about it's effects. " She looked back to him with a a serious look on her face. " Maybe you have heard of the ' Combi Chamber ' ? "

Vector was shocked. ' That's the same machine Eggman trapped us in! ' For a moment he was a loss of words, so he just nodded.

" Recently I went into Eggman's base myself to look for the Combi Chamber, and found that it was still active on an island in the Southern Islands. " Her voice turned grim. " He's using the machine to capture animals for the robots he uses here. "

That's right... The Combi Chamber froze animals in place until Eggman decided on what to do with them! Besides that, Vector had no idea what other functions the machine had. It had to be powerful. It did capture an entire island's population before!

" Mr. Crocodile, I would like you to find out something for me. I want you to find out of that machine has the power to alter minds! "

" Alter... minds? "

" I don't know. " Her face softened. " Erase memories, alter ones that already exist, anything that'd make a person forget who they are! " She sounded desperate " I need to know! I want to know! Please! "

That woman was still holding his hand from the shake earlier, and now she was crying into it openly. He could feel his hand getting wet already, but that's not what worried him. If there was anything this detective hated, it was seeing a woman cry. Still, the Combi Chamber wasn't anything to laugh about. If not for Knuckles, there was no telling what Doctor Eggman would've done to them!

" Payment. " He said without thinking.

Vanilla looked at him using one eye, the other still buried in his hand. " Yes. Of course... " She'd pull away from him with a heavy sniffle and reach into her purse. Digging around for a moment she would place a small slip of paper on the desk. A check. " This is a down payment. "

He reached across the desk to look at the paper. " ... You're kidding. "

" I'm not. I'm putting my life savings into this case. "

The number on this paper could easily buy the them one of those large buildings downtown! " Are ya sure? I don't think anything you could find down there's worth giving an arm and leg for. "

But there was a look in that woman's eyes that clearly said she didn't care. " Mr. Crocodile. You can confidently say that you never had someone in your life that you would be willing to give everything up for? "

Vector was confused. " No. " He said without thinking too deeply into the question. He'd never known his mother or father, and never cared too deeply for his past girlfriends to cry at night about them.

Vanilla just laughed. " You will soon enough, it's a wonderful feeling. " There was something about her laugh that didn't settle right with him. It gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. " So will you take the case? "

Vector nodded, which caused the rabbit to squeal in delight. " You don't know how much this means to me. "

" I can guess. " He grunted while digging under his headphones. " Just don't scream anymore! "

-----

In this story the Chaotix are Vector, Espio, Mighty, Ray, and Charmy, btw.


	2. The Eager Recruit

----- The Eager Recruit

" No fair! It's my turn! "

" You were taking too long! "

The two other Chaotix were watching Mighty and Charmy fight over who gets to throw the next dart with distaste. At this point they were it wasn't really about the game, but who could pin who in a submission move first. One would think that it'd be easy pinning a little bee on the floor, but Charmy had a lot of experience in that area so could easily slip out.

" ARRRRGH! "

Ray shielded his eyes after Mighty screamed. Charmy managed to twist Mighty's arm around behind his head, and was now dangling the helpless shelled rodent a few feet off the ground in triumph.

" Say uncle! " The bee squeaked.

" **NEVER**! "

_Crackle _

" AH-AHHHHHHH! "

" What the hell!? Charmy! Charmy! Drop him! "

Charmy jumped at the sound of Vector's voice, instantly dropping Mighty. Mighty landed on his back rolling into a ball out after out of instinct. Charmy turned around and smiled innocently. " Sorry boss. " He grinned.

Vector put his foot on Mighty's curled up body, then scooped it up like a soccer ball so he could kick it lightly. " Stop playin' around, we got work to do. " Mighty landed on a bean bag chair in the corner, uncurling upside down. " Our client wants us to head to South Island, I'll fill you in on the rest when we get there. "

Espio snapped his head up. " South Island? "

" I didn't stutter, no offense Ray. "

Charmy hovered between them. " Our client? Who is she? She's really pretty! "

" Don't say that! " Espio snapped. " She's old enough to be your mother! "

" I do I really look _that _old? "

Espio was caught off guard by the feminine voice behind her, and turned invisible. It was better for Vanilla though since now the others could she what she was wearing. Her long dress and vest were folded neatly in her arms, and put on the couch. Now she was wearing something a bit more ... form fitting. A white sleeveless top with a red skirt that came an inch or two above the knees. Her white gloves were replaced with fingerless red ones that came to her elbows, and she wore red dressy shoes with a thicker heel so it wouldn't break.

Figured, her brown hair was held up with a pin in the back. Her brown hair actually stopped right above the shoulder.

For a moment the group just stared, then Mighty spoke up. " Where do you think _you're_ going looking like that? "

"With you all, of course. " As calm as ever.

"Listen lady, you can't. " Vector walked up to her. " This Doctor Eggman guy isn't one to take pity on no woman, so you're gonna be in real danger if you go wit' us. "

Vanilla smile turned into a grin and she leaned forward. She was just a few inches taller than Vector, needless to say that he felt a little ... intimidated by the bigger mobian. " You didn't listen to a word I said earlier, did you? " She moved her finger across the top of his long jaw. " I'm willing to give up everything to find out what I want, even my life. "

He raised a brow. " That information won't mean much ta ya if yer dead. "

" Even worst, you won't be able to pay us if you did... " Charmy pouted while poking his index fingers together.

Espio appeared giving Vector a Vanilla a sly look. " Don't pay Vector any mind. He's just threatened by a female's presence "

" ... Pardon me? "

Espio chuckled a bit. " Vector doesn't like when people are bigger and look better than him. It makes him look like a monster in comparison " He snickered a bit, but Vector was not amused. He grabbed the chameleon by the back of the neck.

" You got some nerve... " He growled. Espio turned invisible, which did little good when Vector already grabbed him.

" Come on you two, stop it! " Vanilla managed to stop the impending beating without raising her voice. Vector just dropped the chameleon and huffed. " Please try and remember we have a job to do here. You can injure your friend all you want once we're done. " Espio reared back when he noticed Vector cracking his knuckles in warning.

Espio wasn't looking forward to the trip home...

-----


	3. Over Troubled Waters

----- Over Troubled Waters

This has got to be a first.

First their client insists on traveling with them on their mission.

Now she was paying top dollar to make sure they've made it in style!

Since they didn't have ready access to planes like a certain blue hero they had to make it from place to place however they could, but Vanilla insisted on getting them on a liner when she heard they'd be taking a standard ferry otherwise. There was plenty on the ship to do, but Vector just wanted to look over the side at the city that was slowly fading from view. Station Square was the only real home that he ever remembered having, and there wasn't many mobians who lived there.

He did manage to spot a small family of alligators going back to their home in the pipe works under the city. Alligators, Crocodiles, Rats, they were all sewer dwelling mobians though no one knew why. Now of days they were rare because pollution from the humans above poisoned the waters in the sewers...

There were footsteps behind him, and he quickly snapped around to find Vanilla staring at him. " Don't sneak up on me, _woman_. " He muttered while leaning forward on the railing.

" Pardon me for being concerned. " There was a bit of flair in her voice that could be compared to a certain female bat, but he wasn't pointing any fingers. " Why are you down below eating with your friends? " She asked while leaning on the railing beside him.

Vector shrugged his shoulders. " Watching me eat isn't a pretty sight. Sides, rabid gorging it makes Ray throw up. He's so sensitive ya know. " He chuckled a bit and looked at her. " Vanilla? "

" Hmmm? "

There was one thing tearing at Vector since he got this case, so he decided to ask now." Is there ... any particular reason you wanted us to go on this trip wit 'cha an' not Sonic and them? " It seemed like a casual question. " It seems that they're more capable for this kinda thin' "

" I thought that you might want some answers for yourselves... " She said as in a matter of faculty. " You were victims of the Combi Chamber, so wouldn't you want to know what happened before then? "

Vector blinked. " What're ya sayin'? "

Vanilla gave him a firm look.. remaining in silence before she spoke softly. " It's a terrible feeling not knowing who you are, where you came from, or why you're here, isn't it? "

Now 'that' got his attention and he was now looking at her wide eyed.

_She knew ... but how?_

---

" Yummy! Yummy! "

Ray was physically ill, and it showed by the paleness that formed along his muzzle. Charmy was cramming whatever sugar filled gunk he could find from the buffet into his mouth and down his throat without chewing, stopping only to drown the rest in fruit punch. There was a dark, nasty, ring around his mouth from where he was eating that Ray begged him to clean between 'bites'.

Suddenly the poor squirrel had his head between his knees half buried in a paper bag, just waiting for his lunch to revisit his mouth.

" W-w-where's... "

" Miss Vanilla went up above to look for him. " Mighty said quickly, not wanting Ray to stress himself too much. " By time they get down for lunch we'd be long gone. "

" There isn't anywhere else to go on this tug boat! " Espio complained. Places like this made him nervous, because he's claustrophobic Vector told them once. They all witnessed it first hand when they were locked in a room at Hang Castle...

---- Flashback

**" WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE STUCK!? " Espio screamed. **

**Charmy flew past him calmly. " It means we can't go any further, duh. " **

**Espio just smacked the bee out the air. " I KNOW what 'stuck' means! " **

**Charmy wasn't hurt much by the smack, so just looked up at Espio with a grin. " Then why'da ask? " **

**" Quiet! Both of you! " Vector was sitting calmly on one of the floating cages in the long circling hallway. " Point is we can't go nowheres until we figure out how to open that do-" **

**He was cut off when he heard the loud thumping of bone against metal that made him flinch. Looking around, he saw that Charmy and Espio had run off somewhere, and now Charmy was laughing. Jumping down, he'd run around to corner to find... **

**" OPEN DAMNIT! " **

**Vector was shocked. It was the first time he'd heard Espio mutter a swear, and now the Chameleon was panting, scratching at the metal door with his claws. Then he actually slammed his horn against the metal door, causing that same noise to echo through the hallway. He stumbled back a few steps stunned from the blow only to charge for the door again. **

----- End Flashback

It was a shame they didn't get paid much for that case, the only payment coming from the rings they cashed in at the end. Espio had to be admitted to a hospital soon after for a minor fracture to the skull, and minor plastic surgery to get his horn bent back into shape. Mighty jokingly insisted that Espio get admitted after he and Ray got back for vacation.

Charmy suddenly stopped eating when his antennae twitched. " They're here! " He said cheerfully looking over his shoulder.

The kid had to have had some sixth sense working for him because moments later Vanilla walked down the stairs leading to the lido deck followed by Vector, who seemed a distant. He was thinking about something, Mighty had to guess.

" What's wrong with him? " Espio motioned with his head towards Vector, who didn't seem to notice.

Vanilla shrugged innocently. " He's just got a lot on his mind is all. " She kept a perfectly strait face as she said it, as if she did nothing wrong.

There was no arguing with that judgment, as the rest of the Chaotix began poking at the food in front of them. It was awkward silence between the large group, except Ray's whimpering and Charmy's chewing. They were expecting Vector to say something at least first. Instead he just looked up at the sky, noticing a large black shadow that looked like a...

Another passenger's scream came right before a large splash came within inches of the large boat. The who boat rocked violently as water was thrown aboard the right side of the boat, causing the passenger's to slide towards the opposite side.

The boat was almost on it's side when Vector bit down on a pole near where their table used to be. Shortly after he felt a lot of pain coming from his tail from where his friends where holding on. He grunted a bit and tried to grab onto the pole with his hand...

" Hahahahaha! "

It couldn't be...

-----

Station Square is a human city. Across the island is Emerald Town, where Mobians live.

I'd imagine that almost all the characters have small claws on the tip of each finger, but wouldn't show because of their gloves. They're kinda like cat's claws that only extend when they're angry.

The Lido deck is where the food is served (not in the formal dining room). It's usually near the top of the ship on or below the main deck.


End file.
